IMO, this is just the kind of game that the Mortal Kombat series needed. I've been a fan of MK since the first one came out. I'm as die hard as they come, believe me, but at it's core, MK was beginning to grow stale. You can inject as many new characters/weapons/stages/fatalities/special moves as you want, but it is still a simple fighting game. The games had some interesting story lines, but fighting games are hard to progress a storyline.

Enter MK: Shaolin Monks. Which is much more of an adventure/action game, with fully explorable environments, an experience upgrade system (to unlock new moves), and a VERY detailed storyline (Takes place in between Mortal Kombat I and II). To the MK purists, it still has the feel of an MK game, with familiar characters (Main characters are Liu Kang and Kung Lao, with cameo appearances of MANY MK regulars like Sub Zero, Scorpion, Jax, Sonya, Johnny Cage, Raiden, Reptile, etc), special moves, and (of course) fatalities. Plus, you can unlock more characters for the story more (Scorpion and Sub Zero), and there is a Vs mode, so you can play classic-style MK. (And, you can unlock the original Mortal Kombat II!!)

It hasn't gotten too many good reviews, but this game is definately worth checking out. A ton of fun, and a VERY refreshing and welcome change of pace/direction for the MK series.

Sounds like a cool game. The only thing that made me mad about most of the MK's is that it's a button masher game, where whoever mashes the buttons the fastest wins. However, the Konquest mode was pretty fun, so I might have to give it a try.

Sounds like a cool game. The only thing that made me mad about most of the MK's is that it's a button masher game, where whoever mashes the buttons the fastest wins. However, the Konquest mode was pretty fun, so I might have to give it a try.